The invention pertains to a pharmaceutically active herbal preparation with improved effectiveness for the all-encompassing treatment of migraine, the preparation containing plant components and/or preparations of Tanacetum parthenium in combination with Vitex agnus-castus and/or Cimicifuga racemosa and/or Zingiber officinale as pharmaceutically active components.
Migraine is understood today as a complex functional disturbance of neuronal and vascular elements of the CNS. The headaches associated with it are apparently induced by an aseptic inflammation of the blood vessels and the dura mater vessels of the brain in association with permeability of the vessel walls for albumin and the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and tryptamine. The disorder is characterized by the following sequence of events: vasodilation, activation of the trigeminus, and neurogenic inflammation. Migraine attacks occur abruptly and repeatedly. They involve headaches on one side of the head, which can be associated with various accompanying phenomena: autonomic symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, aversion to light and noise, visual symptoms such as disturbed vision, and also neurological breakdowns such as paralysis or disturbances in language or speech. The symptoms, nausea and vomiting, are caused by the absence of gastrointestinal peristalsis. Most (70%) migraine patients are women. They are more likely to suffer migraine during their menstrual periods. The treatment of migraine has been limited so far to the treatment of the headaches as a way of relieving the patient's discomfort. A more effective and improved treatment of migraine by means of phytopharmaceutical preparations to address the other symptoms of migraine is not known.
Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew), which belongs to the Asteraceae family, is a traditional herbal remedy used to treat migraine. The flowering plant and especially the leaves of the English variety of Tanacetum parthenium contain ethereal oil, camphor, borneol, pinene, and above all sesquiterpene lactones. Sesquiterpene lactones which have been isolated include michefuscalide, cis-chrysanthenyl [sic; chrysanthemyl?—Tr. Ed.] acetate, and parthenolide, which is the dominant component quantitatively and which therefore can be considered the chief substance. To treat migraine in any meaningful way with a drug, it must be possible to affect the parameters vascular disturbance, pain, and inflammation. The sesquiterpene lactones, especially parthenolide, have an antiphlogistic effect by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis, improve the flow behavior of the blood by inhibiting platelet aggregation, reduce the release of serotonin, inhibit the release of histamine, and exert a spasmolytic effect. Tanacetum parthenium is administered in most cases for the sake of prevention. The psychological and physical symptoms typical of migraine are ameliorated by taking Tanacetum parthenium, but they often continue to be a considerable burden on the affected persons, with the result that the quality of life is severely impaired.
The active ingredients not of plant origin used to treat migraine such as sumatriptan, ibuprofen, acetylsalicylic acid, etc., also suffer from the problem that the success of the treatment is often insufficient, and there is also the danger of considerable side effects.
The task of the present invention is to provide a more effective phyto-pharmaceutical drug with improved efficacy for the treatment of migraine and with few if any side effects.